Three black trucks with United States government plates were spotted at the home of Ohio Senator and rumored vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Saturday.
Aides have let it be known that Vance, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Sen. Marco Rubio are on a shortlist of three as they tease his announcement ahead of the Republican Party convention next week.
Vance, a big favorite with Trump’s MAGA base, saw the extra protection at his house following the assassination attempt on Trump that the former president miraculously survived, with Vance blaming Joe Biden for the rhetoric leading to it.
Some speculated on social media upon noticing the black trucks that they might be Secret Service agents, leading many to wonder if Vance had officially won the veepstakes.
Trump is expected to make the announcement at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week.
Vance, a big favorite with Trump’s MAGA base , saw the extra protection at his house following the assassination attempt on Trump that the former president miraculously survived, with Vance blaming Joe Biden for the rhetoric leading to it
Three black trucks with United States government plates were spotted at the home of Ohio Senator and rumored vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Saturday
However, while it was left vague why the extra security had been requested, a report suggested it was not Secret Service and had nothing to do with whether Vance was going to be Trump’s VP.
‘A source familiar says it’s NOT Secret Service, not related to veepstakes and that the presence is strictly precautionary after yesterday,’ NBC News reported.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine would only say that Ohio State Highway Patrol and ATF agents were sent to Vance’s home, according to WLWT.
The request was approved at around 6:40pm local time Saturday afternoon, about 25 minutes after Trump was shot at.
‘For safety reasons, the patrol does not discuss specific details related to security operations.’ OSHP said in a statement.
It is unclear if the other rumored VP favorites have had security sent to their homes, or if the same has been bestowed on fellow Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.
A spokesperson for DeWine, a Republican like Vance, would not say whether there was any specific threat against the Senator or the reasoning behind it at all.
Vance has yet to make any public comment on the security detail.
Ohio Senator JD Vance blamed Biden’s ‘rhetoric’ in a post on X after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump
It was suggested it was not Secret Service and had nothing to do with whether Vance was going to be Trump’s VP
He is seen as potentially the top contender for Trump’s running mate in recent days after it was confirmed Trump’s son Don Jr. who is an ally of Vance would speak ahead of the vice presidential pick at the convention.
Supporters, who include the likes of Trump Jr. and former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, say he brings a deep connection with the rust belt states that could decide the election, a personal history that embodies the American Dream, and the sort of TV skills essential for the president’s number-one advocate.
Critics accuse him of being a political chameleon, selling out his Never Trump credentials at the first sniff of power.
Either way it marks an extraordinary rise for a 39-year-old brought up in the crushing poverty of southern Ohio by his heroin-addicted mother and his fierce grandmother.
His 2016 memoir, ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ catapulted him to literary and political fame, establishing him as the sort of working class, white author who could decode Trump and his allure for an uncomprehending liberal and conservative establishment.
The book painted an evocative portrait of a forgotten American while still warning that Trump himself was like an opioid, an ‘easy escape from the pain.’
As opponents have gleefully pointed out, he repeatedly criticized Trump as he promoted his first book, describing himself as a ‘Never Trump guy’ and explaining why the New York property developer and TV star was ‘unfit for our nation’s highest office’ in a New York Times piece.
Vance has become one of Trump’s most visible defenders on television and a hero to the hardline MAGA movement with his message of America First economic nationalism.
Vance has become one of Trump’s most visible defenders on television and a hero to the hardline MAGA movement with his message of America First economic nationalism
It is unclear if the other rumored VP favorites have had security sent to their homes, or if the same has been bestowed on fellow Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown
Whether he’s named Trump’s running mate or not, he’s expected to play a big role at the RNC this week, as the former president attempts to make a once-unlikely pivot to unifying the nation after the shooting.
Trump flew into Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday evening in a display of defiance as he demonstrates that he is already back at work.
He spent Sunday on calls to world leaders, journalists and allies before announcing that the attack would not knock him off a busy schedule.
But at the same time, aides have quietly let it be known that the convention—expected to be a rowdy, Democrat-baiting coronation for the nominee—must be a more muted affair.
Starting with the president’s own speech.
‘The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger,’ he told the Washington Examiner.
‘Had this not happened, this would’ve been one of the most incredible speeches aimed mostly at the policies of President Joe Biden.
‘Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now,’ he added.
He is expected to make his first public appearance on Monday when he may (or may not) announce his vice presidential pick before his big set-piece speech on the final night of the convention.
